Taking Time Out

Guest Author - Linda Heywood

Sometimes life catches up with us and our bodies and mind shout out for respite. People work hard in their daily lives starting with breakfast in the morning, if we are lucky. The day begins getting children and ourselves up and off to school or work. In between there is caring for others, shopping, washing and house hold chores. Then everything else we try to fit into a fast moving twenty four hour day, before we fall into bed exhausted at night.

At times the demands on us are great; at other times we can sit back and take a rest. Occasionally we have to stop what we are doing and take time out for ourselves. Our souls become resentful when we spend too much time reflecting on our worldly objectives. We should surrender some of our precious time to appreciating and being thankful for the things we have achieved.

When the burden become too much it can help to off-load some of the responsibilities we take on. If we find ourselves attempting to do more than we are capable of doing then the end results are never as good as they could be. If we tried to do less but better we would feel satisfied with the time spent doing a task.

We can find ourselves doing unnecessary chores out of habit that could be delegated to someone else or forgotten about for a while. Obsessions can be time consuming and this is when we should prioritise the time we spend on doing worthwhile things. A change in habit can be exhilarating and motivating.

Doing absolutely nothing occasionally is good for the psyche. If we allow our minds to become still and we reflect on the moment, we see that sometimes we commit ourselves to unnecessary, time consuming missions that can easily be set aside for a less demanding time.

The important things for life are our health and our well-being. If we do not allow ourselves to grow it can lead to stagnation and depression. Sometimes letting go can lead to enlightenment in another direction but fear can hold us back. The unknown is always in front of us, it is up to us to take chances and risks. If we fail at least we have tried, but if we never venture out of our comfort zones it can lead to maladies of the mind, body and soul.

Take time out to enjoy what has been given to us in abundance and be grateful for small mercies.